Multiple immigration raids are reported in Los Angeles with dozens detained

Los Angeles.- The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a series of immigration raids in Los Angeles on Friday with armed agents, which led to strong encounters with activists and community members who tried to prevent the arrests.

At least three major migration operations were reported by immigrant advocates in predominantly Hispanic areas of the city center.

"The immigration authorities are all over Los Angeles this Friday," they warned via text messages distributed among the community.

Angélica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), said in a press conference that at least 45 immigrants were detained. But the number could grow as more reports become known.

Two of the raids were carried out in businesses in the Fashion District, where the arrests of at least two dozen workers were made, according to reports from activists who were pressuring the agents to prevent the operation.

At least one protester fell to the ground while trying to prevent a law enforcement van from taking the detainees away, according to aerial footage from KTLA television.

The operation was supported by agents wearing camouflage uniforms and armored vehicles, who used gases to disperse the protesters.

The FBI confirmed in a statement the participation of its personnel in the immigration raids. Agents carrying DEA identification were also observed.

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“What we are seeing is a coordinated armed and terrorist attack, and I am not exaggerating with the qualifiers because what this intends to do is create terror by arresting workers,” Ron Góchez, director of Unión del Barrio, a collective that has dedicated itself to alerting about ICE operations, told EFE.

From the First Hours

The raids began at seven in the morning with the arrest of several day laborers, who were looking for work at a well-known construction materials store in the Westlake area, an eminently Central American and Mexican area.

Furthermore, there were reports of operations near several schools in Los Angeles. "Parents received warnings about possible activities of immigration agents near the educational centers and we had to go out and monitor," Góchez reported.

Salas said that reports were received of the presence of immigration agents even in places where they sell donuts. "We are not going to allow this abuse of workers, without us this country does not move," said the activist.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that she is “deeply outraged” by the operations.

“These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt the basic principles of security in our city. We will not tolerate this,” added the Democrat, who said she was in contact with immigrant advocacy organizations to support the affected community.

However, the city is already facing criticism for the presence of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers at at least one of the locations where the arrests occurred. “This is a betrayal of the community they claim to protect,” Góchez emphasized, who recalled that California laws limit the collaboration of local forces with ICE.

In response, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell stated that the department will not participate “in any type of mass deportations” nor will it attempt to determine the immigration status of any person.

A demonstration is called for this Friday night in front of the immigration jail in downtown Los Angeles, a few meters from City Hall.

Several community members had gathered in the streets near where the arrests took place and were heading towards the meeting place.

The Goal of Three Thousand Arrests

This is the largest simultaneous operation to occur in Los Angeles after the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House with a promise of mass deportations.

In recent weeks, the Republican administration has made several changes to ICE to push for more arrests. The US Executive aims to make at least 3,000 arrests per day, but the detentions of workers who do not pose a risk to the community have begun to generate great rejection.

Last Friday, diners at a well-known restaurant in the city of San Diego (California) confronted armed ICE agents who arrived at the scene to arrest three workers, and they deployed gas on the crowd protesting their presence.

School parent-teacher associations have also joined the criticism of the White House for the arrests of students, as is the case of Mártir García Lara, 9 years old, arrested along with his father, Mártir García-Banegas, 50 years old, after appearing in an immigration court in Los Angeles last week.